C.F. Martin & Co. Announces the Promotion of Amani Duncan to Vice President of Brand Marketing

C.F. Martin & Co. Announces the Promotion of Amani Duncan to Vice President of Brand Marketing

NAZARETH, PA Recognized by her peers as one of the most dynamic marketing executives in the music business, Amani Duncan was today named Vice President of Brand Marketing for C.F. Martin & Co. Duncan was originally hired in January 2011 as Director of Promotional Marketing, making this the first time that a Martin executive has been promoted to the company's internal Senior Core Team after only one year with the company. Amani is responsible for establishing the company's Global Marketing direction and plays a major role in the achievement of the company's domestic and international sales objectives.

"Amani was chosen to round out the Core Team at Martin for her creative thinking and great enthusiasm," said Keith Lombardi, President and COO. "In her short tenure at Martin Guitar she has completely overhauled our marketing efforts, providing a vibrant, youth-oriented approach while still staying true to our heritage and culture. We are very lucky to have her on the team."

A 17-year music industry veteran, Duncan was chosen for her dynamic contributions to the music industry, with experience that runs the gamut from artist relations to visual marketing, campaign creation and partnership negotiations. Her illustrious career has included positions at some of the most iconic companies in the music industry. Past achievements include serving as Chief Marketing Officer of Sean Combs Enterprises.

As Senior Vice President of Marketing, Video Production & Content for the Capitol Music Group, Duncan empowered consumers and entrepreneurial Artists by leveraging brands in an increasingly contracting music industry. Her marketing stewardship during a delicate consolidation of Virgin and Capitol Records helped to re-brand two of the industry's most formidable labels. Armed with her own proprietary "success mission", Duncan helped deliver substantial new revenue streams through third party alliances that included Myspace, Champion apparel, Chase, and Southwest Airlines among others. Under her tutelage, superstar Lenny Kravitz garnered his highest Billboard entry in two decades, with "It Is Time For a Love Revolution" debuting at #4 on the "Billboard Top Albums Chart". She also reallocated assets to strengthen the label's digital presence, partnering with Myspace for Kravitz' "Get On The Bus With The Love Revolution Tour", utilizing her considerable visual expertise to generate other digital and mobile content from the CMG roster to garner new platforms of exposure for their artists.

Prior to the 2007 consolidation of Virgin and Capitol into a single unit, the Capitol Music Group, Duncan was Vice President of Video Promotions for Virgin America from 2002 to 2006. In this position she was tasked with forging partnerships with franchise brands such as MTV and the NFL to promote Janet Jackson's 9th studio album, "Damita Jo". Duncan also worked behind the scenes to create the first-ever MTV2 $2 Bill Tour called "Welcome to the Universe", also dubbed "The Environmen-tour" due to its forward-thinking eco messaging. Duncan also oversaw the video promotional campaign for the UK band Gorillaz and their album "Demon Days", helping the band attain their highest U.S. chart debut ever, achieving the #6 spot on the "Billboard Top Albums" chart in 2005.

The most formative period of Duncan's career was gleaned during her tenure with the Island Def Jam Music Group from 1995 to 2002 where she started out as West Coast Office Manager before convincing Def Jam executive Kevin Liles that she deserved a shot at the Big Apple. Once there, Duncan made it a point to "drop in" regularly at the BET offices to cultivate relationships that would ultimately prove beneficial to Def Jam artists, proving that she was right to ask for the transfer to New York, which subsequently led to her being named Promotions Manager, then National Director of Visual Promotions. Most importantly for Def Jam, it also led to BET sponsorships of one of the most successful tours in the history of hip hop - Jay-Z's "The Hard Knock Life" Tour. Duncan was also instrumental in securing a 2001 "MTV Unplugged" showcase for Jay-Z, only the second hip hop artist of the entire previous decade to garner the coveted MTV platform; and a partnership with Jay-Z and BET executive Stephen Hill on BET's flagship Marquee program "Blueprint" named after Jay-Z's award-winning album. All of these elements led to Def Jam regaining its dominant position in the hip-hop sector, and spawning the hugely successful Roc-A-Fella Empire.

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Duncan spends her spare time donating her services to support mentoring Sports and Arts in Schools Foundation, a non-profit provider of after-school programs in New York City.

About Martin Guitar & Strings

C.F Martin & Co. (www.martinguitar.com) has been creating the finest instruments in the world for over 175 years. It continues to innovate, introducing techniques and features that have become industry standards including X-bracing, the 14-fret guitar and the “Dreadnought” size.

One of the world’s leading acoustic instrument makers, Martin guitars are hand-made by skilled craftsmen and women, who use a combination of new design and techniques along with those introduced by the company founder.

The company is also known for producing high-quality, popular acoustic guitar strings. These include the Martin SP® LIFESPAN™ line - the fastest-growing treated string in the industry, and the Martin SP line - which uses an industry leading core wire to hold tunings better.

Martin guitars and Martin Strings are the instruments and strings of choice for musicians around the world, from the icons of rock, country, folk and bluegrass to those just beginning their careers. They can be seen across all segments of pop culture, from television (Glee, Psych, Raising Hope and American Idol) to the movies; on Broadway and in books, online, and gracing the covers of popular magazines on newsstands everywhere. Connect with Martin and Martin Strings on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, YouTube and via www.martinguitar.com and www.martinstrings.com.

Media Contacts:Aliza RabinoffDKC for Martin Guitar212-981-5157
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